National Curriculum (Hansard, 4 November 1988)

§ Mr. Kenneth Baker

The chairmen of the National Curriculum Council (NCC) and the School Examinations and Assessment Council (SEAC) have sent me initial advice, agreed between their councils, about the780W arrangements needed to develop a long-term strategy for training to support our national curriculum and assessment policies. I have placed copies in the Libraries of both Houses. I welcome the councils' suggestion that such a strategy should be developed through joint arrangements involving my Department, the NCC, SEAC, the Curriculum Council for Wales and Her Majestys' inspectors. An early task will be to consider further the shape and design of future in-service education and training (INSET) provision as suggested by the councils.

The NCC has in addition offered me advice on the early training needed to support the introduction of the national curriculum from September 1989. The council has recommended an outline programme of training for LEA officers, inspectors and advisors and teachers during this and the next academic year, which offers a good basis for further work both nationally and in local authorities. Copies of that advice have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses, and I am also arranging for copies to be sent to all local authorities, who I know are already planning detailed provision for the coming year.

The major objective of training before the start of the autumn term 1989 should be to increase general awareness of the new arrangements, including the broad shape of the assessment arrangements which will be required. It should enable schools and teachers to start planning for their implementation in the classroom. Soon after that date more specific training in the requirements for particular subjects and in assessment procedures will be required.

I accept the council's conclusion, endorsed by SEAC, that exceptionally for this first year of implementation schools should be allowed to close for two additional days to offer their whole staff training specifically directed to the new national curriculum requirements. These additional days may be used for the general awareness training which all teachers will need before they begin to work within the new framework in September 1989, or for supplementary training in the autumn term. I shall bring forward regulations shortly to allow for additional closures in the calendar year 1989, in order to give schools the necessary flexibility to fit this training into their plans.

These exceptional arrangements are needed because authorities' plans for in-service training in 1989 are already well advanced. In future years, as new national curriculum requirements are introduced, authorities will be expected to make the necessary arrangements for training using the £53 million made available through in-service training grants to support implementation in 1989–90, and the further sums to be made available as appropriate in later years. They will need to plan to use these resources within the normal school year, which includes five days which may be devoted to the in-service training of teachers.

The NCC is working on the preparation of materials to underpin the programme of INSET, and will be making these available in good time for each stage of the training effort it has recommended. The SEAC will be contributing appropriate material on assessment as the programme of INSET progresses. In addition, my Department will continue to make available information about the nature and implications of the new provisions to help LEAs and schools plan for their effective introduction.